Rotary offset gravure printing press



Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,955

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS 19 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 29, 1961- INVENTORS; WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER C. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD W. STANLEY Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 29, I961 INVENTORSZ WALLACE A. ANDERSON WlLBER C. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD W. STANLEY ATTYS.

Aug- 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29, 1961 19 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug- 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS INVENTORS: WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER C. BRUNN R E CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD W. STANLEY ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,955

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29, 1961 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 Flesh INVENTORS WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER C. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD W. STANLEY ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 -w. A. ANDERSON ETAL ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS 19 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Aug. 29, 1961 INVENTORS: WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER C.BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD W. STANLEY BY WW ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL- 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS l9 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Aug. 29, 1961 w R O E TN 6 No m 55 VR Y NEENE IDNRL NN Au n AM S .E acc c ND A ER L RA L AILD wwc Y 5 km \mw I i mm.

ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29, 1961 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTQRS WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER C. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER BY EDWARD W STANLEY ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSC DN ETAL 3,099,955

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29, 1961 19 Sheets-Sheet 10 INVENTORS I WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER C. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w.. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS l9 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed Aug. 29, 1961 FIG. 24.

INVENTORS: WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER c. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HOR BY EDWARD w sigma ATTY 5.

Aug. 6, 1963 WA. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS 19 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Aug. 29, 1961 ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,955

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29. 1961 19 Sheets-Sheet 13 INVENTORSZ WALL E A. ANDERSON WILB C. BRUNNER CL ENCE L. HORNBERGER ED RD W. STANLEY ATTYS.

FIG. 38.

Aug. 6, 1963 Filed Aug. 29, 1961 W. A. ANDERSON ETAL ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS 19 Sheets-Sheet 14 INVENTORSI WALLACE A. ANDERSON Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29, 1961 l9 Sheets-Sheet 15 FIG. 39 and FIGA-O.

255 i 54 225 75/ 276 257 if/ INVENTORS WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER C. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD W. STANLEY Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29, 1961 19 Sheets-Sheet 16 FIG43. FIG-4.4.

Z72 INVENTORS WALLACE A. ANDERSON EDWARD W. STAN LEY ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,956

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS l9 Sheets-Sheet 17 Filed Aug. 29, 1961 INVENTORS A. ANDERSON BRUNNER CE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD W. STANLEY BY %M?% fi Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,955

RoTARYoFFsET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS l9 Sheets-Sheet 18 Filed Aug 29, 1961 INVENTORS WALLACE A. ANDERSON WILBER c. BRUNNER CLARENCE L. HORNBERGER EDWARD w. STANLEY BY WA? W ATTYS.

Aug. 6, 1963 w. A. ANDERSON ETAL 3,099,955

ROTARY OFFSET GRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed Aug. 29, 1961 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 United States Patent The present invention relates broadly to rotary printing and more particularly to a rotary printing press and system adapted to manufacture gravure-printed floor coverings or the like.

More specifically, the present invention relates to oilset gravure printing of a rotary character having extremely high operating features, high quality of end product produced, and provided for optimum working conditions.

It has been found that when printing designs on felt rug bases and the like, and which design necessitates a plurality of colors in ink, off-set gravurc printing results in favorable working conditions and optimum quality in the end product. While flat bed rand/or direct gravure presses have heretofore been utilized, certain limitations as to the design which could be printed or undesirable operating characteristics of the machine have been inherent therein.

It i accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide :a rotary press of an oil-set gravure type for printing of designs in ink on felt base to produce a printed rug which overcomes the drawbacks and unsatisfactory characteristics of previously known devices.

The principle involved in use of a press of the character of the present invention involves depositing variou colored inks in proper position on a continuously moving web by rotating cylinders. Considered broadly, three such rotating cylinders are involved in placing any one color, and when properly assembled with relationship to a driving means and a means of transporting the web through an ink drying area, they constitute one stand of the over-all press and press system. As contemplated by the present invention, the entire press can consist of a plurality of such as five of these printing stands spaced from one another along a continuous line. Another principal object of the present invention is to provide app-aratus and a system such that removal and/ or replacement of various of these cylinders can be effected easily and quickly with a minimum of effort, and with a minimum possibility of damage to the rolls. As will appear hereinafter only two of the rolls in any one stand need be changed for such purposes as change of design to be printed and/ or damage or wear of the rolls. The construction and arrangement of the present invention is such that these two rolls namely, the oil-set and engraved cylinders in any stand of the press can be removed vertically from the machine by means of a single overhead crane and removed to a cylinder cleaning station and rack removed from the work area or space. This is possible due to the arrangement and mounting of the rolls. This arrangement and mode of operation negate the necessity of moving the rolls laterally out from the stand for placement on dollies or the like with a possibility of damage to the rolls and to operating personnel while at the sarne time greatly decreasing the time required for such a change-over.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide in a rotary ofi-set gravure printing press a mounting and arrangement of the rolls such that any individual stand in the press may be rendered inactive by movement of solely the off-set cylinder or roll to inoperative position without in anyway affecting the tension on 3,099,956 Patented Aug. 6, 1963 ice the web so that proper registry is maintained at all times due to a constant tension on the web even with one of the stands in inoperative condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in such a press :an arrangement of the cylinders or rolls such that the off-set cylinder can be easily and readily replaced by a fiexographic roll and permit a flexographic printing for certain types of designs and/or over-printed borders.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide in such a press a mounting and control of the offset cylinder such that it can, in any desired stand, be selectively raised or lowered to inactive and active positions and so timed with the remainder of the over-all press as to efiect a skip printing which is particularly suitable for cross border printing, and such operation not affect in anyway the operation of the remainder of the press.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide in a press of the character described, a novel doctor blade holder susceptible of so mounting and being driven as to be substantially trouble free, susceptible of easy mounting and operation and removal vertically from a stand of the press.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide in a press system of the character described, an arrangement whereby the web to be printed is so disposed and led through the apparatus as to provide easy access to the mechanism and permit removal or the oil-set and engraved cylinders as also the doctor blade and holder from overhead without interfering with the web, and additionally permits maintaining tension on the web with the off-set cylinder raised to inoperative position or removed for replacement.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a press in which the oil-set cylinder can be moved to inoperative position without afiecting the position of the impression or engraved cylinders while maintaining constant rotation of the off-set cylinder so as to maintain proper registry of the various cylinders.

A further object of the present invention is to provide in a printing press arrangement mounting and interconnecting drive means permitting of adjustment of the rolls for proper pressure relationships and registry.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed deseription of an embodiment thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1a and 1b are complementary schematic elevational views illustrating the subject invention in a typical plant installation embodying a multi-unit press set-up;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view as viewed from line 22 FIGS. 1a and 112 respectively illustrating the drive arrangement between the various components;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section as viewed from line- 3-3 of FIG. la, of the transport system for facilitating press cylinder changes and servicing;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary end and side elevations of a press cylinder and associated bearing in course of transit;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 6--6 of FIG. 2, of the infeed tension stand;

FIG. 6a is a similar view on line 611-641 of the outfeed tension stand;

FIG. 7 is :a fragmentary schematic on line 7-7 of FIG. 6 showing details common to both infeed and outfeed stands;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of one of the press units with associated dryer section;

FIGS. 9a and 9b are complementary front elevational views of the press unit; 

1. IN A ROTARY PRINTING PRESS AND SYSTEM, A PRINTING STAND INCLUDING AN ENGRAVED CYLINDER, AN IMPRESSION CYLINDER SPACED THEREFROM, AN OFFSET CYLINDER INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID ENGRAVED AND IMPRESSION CYLINDERS, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID OFFSET CYLINDER WHICH IS OPERABLE TO MOVE ONLY SAID OFFSET CYLINDER TO SELECTIVELY BREAK CONTACT WITH SAID ENGRAVED AND IMPRESSION CYLINDERS OR ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH THEM, SAID OFFSET CYLINDER HAVING ITS AXIS LOCATED AT AN ELEVATION HIGHER THAN THE AXES OF SAID ENGRAVED AND IMPRESSION CYLINDERS, SAID MEANS FOR MOVING SAID OFFSET CYLINDER COMPRISING A LEVER SYSTEM POSITIONED BELOW THE UPPER SURFACE OF ALL OF SAID CYLINDERS, MOUNTING MEANS FOR THE SHAFTS OF SAID CYLINDERS, INCLUDING BEARING ASSEMBLIES THEREFOR REMOVABLY SUPPORTED BY FIXED SUPPORTS IN SAID PRESS, REMOVABLE CAP MEMBERS SECURING SAID ASSEMBLIES IN SAID SUPPORTS, SAID CYLINDERS BEING VERTICALLY REMOVABLE FROM SAID SUPPORTS TOGETHER WITH SAID BEARING ASSEMBLIES AND CAP MEMBERS. 